Two for Flinching
by WreckingDoll
Summary: -Her features darkened and she stared with such intensity that she probably could have convinced the sun not to rise. But she wasn't glaring at the sun. She was glaring at Ace Merrill.- They hate each other now but not everything is written in stone...
1. UN I wish you wouldn't do that

_So. I forgot to include the disclaimer and warnings. So here they are._

_I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANYTHING. EVER.  
IF I DID, WOULD I REALLY BE DOING THIS?_

_This little story involves domestic violence/abuse, adult language and violence.__Maybe some smut later, whoooo knows.  
ye be warned._

_This story takes place after the movie.  
And Teddy's father was never institutionalized, just jailed shortly.  
_**  


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**UN  


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"Sincerely! God damn it, Ace! Why are you always picking on those poor boys? They're so much smaller than you!"

"Why are you always defending them, _Natty_?"

The way he said the nickname she hated with such disgust made her pull back for half a second before getting even closer to his face. Her features darkened and she stared with such intensity she probably could have convinced the sun not to rise. But she wasn't glaring at the sun. She was glaring at Ace Merrill. Anybody but him would have backed down, but not Ace. Especially not to a girl. He matched her fury with his own. Grabbing her upper arms, he tried to shove her away. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, so it wasn't an easy task. However, she was a bit on the small side- only reaching about five foot three and weighing a whopping 115 pounds. Needless to say, Ace could take her if he wanted to. But there was a certain point that even Ace Merrill would stop at. He would never hit a girl. But this one was pushing his limits.

"Because they are my friends. Would you stand by and watch as someone beat the shit out of Eyeball?"

"Eyeball can hold his own."

"You're a prick. I will not tolerate a bully like you."

"Fuck, I would love to-"

"What? Knock some sense into me? I wish you would try. No, I wish you would do it. See what happens then you fucking, low-life hooligan."

Natalie Hayward acted tough, like she could take anything Ace dished out. But in reality, a lot of the things he said to her got under her skin and she would end up awake half the night, crying because the things he was saying to hurt her were true. But she would never show that to him. He didn't know the shit he was saying sometimes _was_ actually true. But here he was now, gripping her arms so tight she was sure to have bruises tomorrow. They were already sore, but she wasn't about to ask him to stop. She was use to worse anyway. She really was quite tough for a girl. She stood up for herself and her friends. There one only one person she was truly afraid of...

Before Ace completely lost control and did something he would regret, he released his hold on her and pushed her backwards, away from him and into Chris. He snarled before walking off. After a few steps, he turned back. He looked straight passed her, pointing his finger menacingly at the boys when he spoke. "This isn't over."

Once he was back in his car and driving off, Teddy ran up to her side. He immediately grabbed hold of her wrist, turning her arm slightly to see the fingerprint bruises that were beginning to form. She didn't look at him, never moving her sight from Ace's car until it was impossible for her to see him anymore.

"Talie, these are definitely going to be bad. Are you ok? He's never bruised you this awful before." Teddy was like her little big brother. He and Chris both. They always worried about her, sometimes more than her own father even. Well, actually that wasn't hard. He was never home.

"I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Do what, Chris?"

"Aggravate Ace. You shouldn't have to fight our battles. I don't like to see you get hurt. None of us do."

"Ace won't hurt me. He won't hit a girl."

"Than what's this?" Teddy interrupted loudly as he pointed out the new bruises.

"Relax Teddy. That's far less than any of you would have gotten. I'll take a few bruises over my friends getting beat to death any day."

Talie was closer to the Cobra's age, but got along better with Chris and his little gang of four. She was actually best friends with Gordie's older brother, Denny Lachance. Everyone always said they would end up together. They never were, although it did start to look promising. But now no one will ever know because he died a few months back. She lost her best friend in a freak accident. And to make things worse, she should have been in that Jeep. If it weren't for the horrible circumstances of her life that made her stay, she probably wouldn't even be here. That day changed from being just a bad day to the worse night of her life.

After that, she had become closer to with Gordie. She was there for him when his parents weren't. They bonded over shared memories. Soon the others came into the picture too- Chris, Teddy and Vern. Now she was close to all of them. Even if they were over four years younger, they were some of the best friends she ever had- aside from Denny of course.

"What's this, Talie?"

"What are you talking about, Teddy?"

"These marks."

She finally tore her eyes away from where Ace's car had been to see what Teddy was going on about. He had rolled up the sleeve of her t-shirt to get a better look at her new bruises and saw the back of her shoulder. Once she realized that's what he was asking about, she quickly shrugged out of his grasp and pushed her sleeve back down.

"It's nothing Teddy. Don't worry about it."

He immediately adopted a look of worry. They all did. But before anybody could say anything, she spoke up. "Come on, guys. Let's go and get some ice cream. The Cobras are not going to ruin this beautiful day." She smiled widely before turning and running off towards town, but not before turning and yelling back at the still boys over her shoulder. "Come on!"

They all forgot about their worry, smiling and running out of the woods after her.

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_New story.  
Couldn't help it.  
Let me know what you think?  
Thanks. =]_


	2. DEUX she didn't hear them coming

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**DEUX  


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When Talie pulled the broken door open to go inside her rundown house, it was just after midnight. Her and the boys had lost track of time. After getting some ice cream they went back to the treehouse. It's not like they ever did anything of major importance, but they always had fun.

Just like every other morning when she left the house she lived in with her father and his brother, she was told to be back before nightfall. And just like every other day she spent with the boys, she was back way later. And just like every other night, neither of them were home yet.

She was never caught.

She huffed as she plopped herself down on her couch. She only sat there for a few minutes before jumping back up. She really hated to be in the main area. That's usually where her father and her uncle drank theirs beers and talked about their latest conquests. She never understood how they attracted all these women they claimed they had. They weren't catches. They were drunks with the consequential beer bellies, no respectable jobs and in her father's case- no hair on the top of his head. They certainly didn't have any manners and she assumed no respect for these women. They certainly had no respect for her.

Not even for their so-called "home." Dirty dishes were scattered across the floor- some broken, some still intact. She kicked the nearest one aside to reveal a skittering cockroach which she immediately, yet casually, crushed with her foot. Years ago, she would have screamed and run like the little girl that she was; but after all the shit she's been through, a simple roach is a nothing. It wasn't the first she's seen. They actually crawled about on a regular basis. The two men she lived with were not the cleanest (to say the least). Talie tried to clean up after them, but for some reason they hated that. They liked the dirty, boy's club feeling. They always said 'a clean house is a woman's house and we ain't got no pussies.' Real gentlemen.

She's given up on cleaning anything but her tiny room. She had walked until she stood at the foot of her bed. It was a simple, small mattress laying a top nothing but the floor. That didn't really bother her. She didn't need some big elaborate bed. She just needed what she had- a mattress, sheets and a pillow. Good enough. She collapsed face down on top of her bundled sheets. She grumbled at nothing in particular before rolling a bit so she was able to pull her blanket over her still fully clothed form. All of a sudden, she was overcome with exhaustion. She was about to succumb to sleep when she heard a commotion next door.

It's not like it was anything new, but this one she couldn't tune out.

It started with a loud engine roaring before being cut off. A car door slammed, and soon after, the house door. That was all normal. So was the following argument. But tonight, it seemed louder and more violent than usual. Just when she thought things had quieted down enough that she could get some sleep, her uncle and father arrived home. She quickly kicked off her shoes and thrust her head under her pillow. It was only a matter of minutes before one, or both, plowed into her room. She didn't really want to deal with them tonight. She could hear their drunken chatter through the thin walls, but tried her best to block it out. Because of that, she didn't hear them coming.

She was drowsy with sleep and muffling the sounds with her pillow, so she didn't know she wasn't alone until she felt him. She was brought back to full consciousness when a large weight fell on top of her.

"Fuck!" She screamed as she whipped the pillow from her head and attempted to push the fat man off of her. He laughed as he rolled towards her feet, which were hanging over the edge. In the process, he forced her ankle to bend downward in a way it was never meant to go. She screamed and sat up, pulling her leg with her. Thankfully, with her quick reaction time, it was not broken. But it was severely sore. The last time she felt this kind of pain in her ankle was after she was swiped with a baseball bat. She limped for a week.

"Natalie, what are you doing up?" The figured groaned as he stood, no longer laughing.

"I was asleep until you crushed me, father." She forced herself to remain calm. She really didn't need to anger him. She knew this was one of his nights where he was drunk enough to last him a week. She sighed as she lay back down on her bed.

He just grunted before walking out again. Of course, he left the door wide open behind him. After pausing to curse repeatedly in her head, Talie got up to push it shut. When she peeked through the opening, she saw her father facedown and unconscious on his own bed. That was one less drunk she'd have to clean up after in the morning. Just before the door clicked shut, her crazed uncle slammed into the door, forcing it back open. She was knocked backwards, slamming her head off the hard wooden floor.

The room spun a few times before her vision cleared and she saw her Uncle Ray towering over her. He was the one she worried about. He was the one that hit her. Usually he was kept in line by her father but on nights like this when he was out cold, there was no one to stop him. She watched wearily as he undid his belt. She was in for a good whipping tonight. She didn't even bother to fight it. She knew it was no good. She was just happy to see he didn't have a lit cigarette hanging from his lips. On multiple occasions, he would burn her. Those were the scars Teddy got a glimpse of today. She had three almost perfectly round burn scars on the back of her left shoulder from the beating she got a few months ago.

But today he had something worse in mind. After almost a minute of not getting beat with the belt, Talie braved opening her eyes. She immediately began to cry when she saw that he had thrown the belt off to the side. After this, she would pray for the belt!

"Uncle Ray, please!"

"Shut up, whore. I didn't get my piece of tail tonight so you're just going to have to do." He slurred, barely understandable, as he unzipped and dropped his pants.

She yelled for help from the last person she would ever call for. "Daddy!" She never called him anything but 'father' but she was scared and desperate. She hoped she could get through his thick drunk skull, but it was in vain. She crumpled into a ball, fearing the upcoming abuse. It wasn't the first time it happened, but it wasn't frequent either. It had only happened three or four times, the last being at least five years ago. He liked to touch her when she was little but only a few times did he allow his fingers to explore her inner most secrets.

Tonight was going to be even worse. Tonight was the first time he ever removed his pants. Tonight, she was going to cry her hardest yet.

He pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. She yelled, but she knew it was useless. She tried to kick or punch any part of him, but his excessive weight held her in place. The tears poured down her face. He ripped at her clothes, succeeding in only tearing them. But they still clung protectively to her body.

"Cry like a fucking baby. Go ahead. But you're going to like it. I bet you're nice and tight still. There's no way anyone's fucked your trashy ass yet. Thought maybe that dead friend of yours did, but I was wrong."

She froze when he mentioned Denny. She completely stopped fighting for a few seconds. It was one thing to abuse or talk shit on her, but it was another to talk about Denny that way. She wouldn't let that happen. She boiled over. That same rush of adrenaline that she gets when she defends the boys from the Cobras surfaced and exploded. Suddenly, she had such strength that she was able to push him off of her. She immediately stood and tore through the small house. She almost slipped once on an empty beer bottle before dashing out the back door before her uncle could even leave the other room.

But where would she go? She paused in her backyard- if you could even call a small patch of dead grass covered in assorted rusty old junk and empty beer cans a yard- to think about her possibilities. She could turn around towards the front and head to Gordie's, or she could keep going the back way and cut through the yards to get to Chris. Even Teddy was an option, but not poor naive Vern. Vern was not one to go to in situations like this. He would have the best of intentions, thinking only with his heart to try and help, but sometimes the brain is necessary too. He never knew when to shut up. The others, they knew not to ask questions or try and help. They would just be there for her. Chris was the only one who actually knew everything that went on in her house. She confided in him, knowing he would understand. Teddy and Gordie just knew her father and uncle were mean drunks; they didn't know her uncle abused her.

She jumped as she heard glass shatter. She turned quickly towards the yard to her left- which was in the same, if not worse shape than hers- to see a shadowed figure hunched over from the throw. She knew better than to get involved in other people's business in this area. Sure, most of the people around here needed help but unless they specifically ask for it, you mind your business. But despite her awareness of this unwritten rule, she couldn't pull her eyes away. He stepped out of the shadows and what Talie saw made her gasp loudly. She saw the familiar yellow-blonde hair of the bully she often found herself face to face with. But that wasn't shocking. She knew he lived next to door to her. She saw him nearly every day, much to her dismay. It was the wet liquid that left a red streak from his hairline down the side of his face until it ran into his dark collar. Sure she hated him, but she wasn't completely cold-blooded. She knew his home life was worse than hers, so she did feel an amount of pity for him. For half a second she thought about running to him, but then she came to her senses. Her decision to let him be was concreted when she saw the anger in his eyes. It wasn't anger about his situation, it was anger pointed straight at her.

Something in his eyes, behind the anger, terrified her. She stumbled backwards a few steps before turning heel and running the opposite direction. She just wanted as far away from him as she could get. So, in a way, Ace solved her dilemma for her. She was headed toward Teddy's house. She hoped his father wasn't home. A block away, she slowed her footsteps to a casual jog as she chuckled to herself. They all had their problems. Lucky Vern, his biggest worry is finding his missing jar of pennies.

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_Two words:_

_KIEFER MADNESS._

_Is this storyline too overdone?  
I feel like it is. But it doesn't mean it'll stop me! ;)_

_And I know people are reading!  
Please, tell me what you think.  
You don't have to be all in depth or anything.  
Just yay or nay me.  
Thanks, homies._


	3. TROIS she didn't want to be alone

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**TROIS  


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She wasn't about to just knock on his door. She didn't know who would answer. She began to rethink her decision to not loop around and head to Chris' house. If Teddy's father was home this could prove to be a worse situation than staying to deal with Ace's wrath- for both her and Teddy. She kicked some nearby rocks before turning to walk away when she heard someone calling to her in a loud whisper. She lifted her head and saw no one. The voice called again.

"Talie!" It was still a whisper, but louder this time. "Turn around!"

She did as it said and saw Teddy leaning out the open window to his ground floor bedroom. "Hey, Duchamp. I didn't mean to bother you. Is your dad home?"

"No. He won't be home until after noon tomorrow."

"Then why are we whispering?" Talie asked, smiling as she walked over to his window.

He matched her smile and let his voice return to normal. "I don't know. Do you want to come in?"

"Can I?" She asked, suddenly shy about bothering him.

"Always."

He moved back a couple steps and she crawled in through the open window. Once her first foot hit the floor on the other side, it immediately gave out. She moaned as she tumbled into his room. "That fat fucker."

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"My drunken father fell on my ankle. Very nearly broke it. I forgot all about it in my rush to get out of there. I guess my adrenaline finally wore off." As if her body was confirming it, she yawned.

"Can you stand?"

"It hurts like no other, but I think so. A good rest should get rid of the pain." She clamored to her feet with Teddy at her side. He helped her over to his unmade bed and she promptly sat down. She sank into his mattress before falling a bit towards him as he took a seat next to her. Then it all came rushing back. Her eyes began to well up with unshed tears. He noticed her sudden mood change and her shimmering eyes, but didn't say anything. He guided her downwards until her head hit his pillow. She kicked off her dirty socks before picking her feet up so she was laying down on her side. He moved behind her as he pulled the blankets up to her shoulders. He rubbed her exposed shoulder with his hand and felt her body begin to shake with her silent sobs. He laid down behind her, head propped up on his other arm so he could see her. Even though he was younger than her and she was usually the one defending him, she still felt safer.

"You know we all love you, right Talie?" Teddy's voice was soft.

She nodded her head before reaching up and pulling the hand on her shoulder around her. He knew that was her sign that she just needed some comfort. She didn't want to be alone. He let himself curl up behind her as he wrapped his arm tightly around hers. Although his body ached with exhaustion, he forced himself to stay awake until her sobs stopped and her breathing calmed. Once he was sure she was asleep, he left himself drift off as well.

She awoke the next morning when she heard Teddy rummaging around under the bed. She leaned over the edge, drowsily staring at just his legs, from the knees down, sticking out from under the bed.

"Jesus, Teddy. What are you doing under there?"

"I can't find your damn shoes anywhere. I could only find your socks." His voice was muffled, but she heard him clearly.

"I didn't bring any. I didn't have time to grab them. I just wanted to get out of there." She said in a sad, distant voice. But she buried that quickly. "What's your rush anyway? You want me out of here that badly?" She joked with him as he crawled out backwards.

"It's almost noon."

"So?"

"My dad could be home any time now."

"Oh." She didn't move just yet, though. She had sat up but she kept her bottom half under the covers still. Her legs were pulled up to her chest and she rested her arms across her knees and her head on her arms. Teddy sat down by her ankles, rubbing them gently through the blanket.

"I don't mean to kick you out."

"I understand. Thank you, Teddy. For last night."

"Teddy Duchamp does not leave his women wanting," he joked, winking.

"I'm serious, Teddy." She smiled lightly but she meant it.

"We're friends... That's my job. And I like doing it. I want to see you happy. We all do."

She slowly leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "You guys are the best."

He just smiled at her, a slight blush in his cheeks.

"I guess I better get going, huh?"

Teddy silently nodded his head.

"Are you coming, too? We could go to the diner or something?"

"I gotta be here when my old man gets home. I'll be out later though."

It was Talie's turn to silently nod now. She shoved her socks into her pocket before walking over to the window. They were never ones to use the door, even when they didn't need to sneak around. Before she left, she turned around one last time. "See ya later, little brother."

"Later, little sister."

That was just a little thing between her and Teddy. Talie referred to him as her little brother for obvious reasons. Teddy, however, called her his little sister because sometimes he had to take care of her too. Just like last night.

Once Talie climbed out the window, she headed straight for Chris' house. She'd get him out of the house then go meet Gordie. She only had to knock twice before someone whipped the door open. Unfortunately it was Eyeball.

"Well if it isn't Nat Nat Natalie."

She hated when he called her that, but she'd take it over 'Natty' any day. When she was young she had a bit of a stutter when she was nervous or scared. But she got over that in her early school years.

"Good to see you too, Ieatballs."

He growled at her as she shoved past him and into the Chambers house. It was worse off than hers, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. They were way past worrying about what the others thought. Vern and Gordie were the only ones with decent homes. Still, they never judged each other.

Before Talie could get very far into the house, Eyeball grabbed her elbow.

"Who the hell invited you in?"

"Don't worry about it." She jerked her arm free. "I'm just getting Chris and we're leaving."

He didn't try to stop her again but he swore under his breath. She headed straight back to Chris's room, stopping to yell through his closed door.

"Chambers, it's me. Can I come in?"

He didn't answer, but within a few short seconds he opened the door. Before Talie even so much as flinched to go in, he stood directly in front of her. She was so close to him that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Her chest was practically brushing against his shoulder. He placed a hand on her arm to stop her from entering and pulled the door shut behind him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Let's just get out of here." Chris let go of her arm and grabbed her hand. As he pulled her out of the house, she heard Eyeball yelling after her.

"Hey, isn't my brother a little young for you? Maybe if you gave me a little something I'd be willing to ease up on him and his shitty little friends."

She turned back to glare at him and he just winked at her before laughing. She tried to pull free from Chris's grasp but he held on tight. She wanted to knock Eyeball's teeth out. But Chris knew better than to let her loose. She could have easily gotten free, but she knew he was right to stop her. She didn't really believe that Eyeball was above hitting a girl. Not that she was afraid of him, anyway.

"You just fucking wait, Eyeball," she growled before she was pulled outside.

As soon as Chris slammed the door shut, he let go of her hand. Filled with anger, she picked up a rock, swearing loudly as she threw it at the nearest tree with all of her might. Despite her lack of aim, she hit the trunk and took a solid chunk out of the dead bark.

"Forget about him, Talie. He just wants to rile you up. Let's go see Gordie."

She didn't respond out loud. She nodded her head and walked towards the street, clenching and unclenching her fists. Once they were out of the shade of the trees and in the sunlight, Chris got his first good look at her.

"Talie, what happened to you?"

When he stopped suddenly, she did too. He spoke with such concern that Talie immediately forgot about her anger and remembered the state she was in. She was sure she looked like a mess. The collar of her shirt was ripped, causing it to hang haphazardly off one of her shoulders. There was another chunk of her shirt missing towards the bottom, exposing her right hip. Not to mention she was completely barefoot, but that could just be because it was summer. She glanced down at herself and saw that her jeans pocket was nearly ripped off and a bit of her thigh shown where the seams separated.

"I didn't have time to change last night. I just ran." Ashamed, she lowered her gaze to the pavement.

"Where did you go?"

"To Teddy's." She turned away from him and started quickly walking. Chris paused for a few seconds before jogging to catch up to her.

"Hey, wait. Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

She didn't answer. She just tried to keep walking and he kept trying to stop her.

"Talk to me, T."

She paused when he called her 'T.' Only he called her that. She used to laugh at him for giving her a nickname for her nickname.

"I'm fine. I got away."

"Was it your uncle again?"

She nodded her head slowly, trying to fight the tears. She was not going to fall apart. Not in the middle of the road. Not in the middle of the day. Not with the way she looked. She could only imagine how horrible she looked, and not just with her clothes in their current state. She was sure her hair was a rat's nest and her eyes red and puffy- even if she hadn't cried since last night. She was just happy her ankle felt better and she wasn't limping. Nor did she have a headache. That was surprising considering how hard she hit it off the floor last night.

"What did he try to do?" He knew it had been a while since he got handsy with her, but he just had a feeling. She wasn't usually this emotionally broken after just a beating.

She took a deep breath before answering. Even she was surprised at how strong her voice sounded. "It doesn't matter what he wanted. What matters is that I got away." She started walking again and when he moved to stop her, she interrupted him before he could even say anything. "Please, Chris. I know you're worried, but I'm fine. I don't want to talk about this right now. Let's just go get Gordie."

"All right. Just hang on a minute ok? Let me go get you a shirt that doesn't look like you just survived a shipwreck." He smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

She smiled weakly, but genuinely, at him before he turned and sprinted the block back to his house. Within a few minutes he was back at her side.

"Here." He thrust a dark green t-shirt into her hands. "You can change behind those bushes. I'll block you."

She smiled again. "Thanks."

After she shed her destroyed shirt and put his on- which fit, albeit snuggly- she threw hers in a garbage can outside of some random house. They walked in comfortable silence to Gordie's house. He was already outside waiting for them.

"Hey guys. Talie, where are your shoes?" Gordie asked immediately. He was always so observant.

"Eh, who needs shoes? Unimportant on a beautiful day like this." She shrugged, smiling into the sun. While she wasn't looking, the boys shared a quick look that immediately told Gordie that last night was a bad night. But if she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to prod.

"You want a pair?"

With that, she knew that Gordie knew- well, knew that she had some mean drunken men on her hands last night but not that they tried to harm her. Why else would Gordie ask her if she wanted shoes after she just claimed to not be wearing them for a reason? But it didn't bother her. It's not that she didn't want him to know; she just didn't want to talk about it.

"Gordie, you may be a boy but you're still younger than me. I could never fit in your shoes." She chuckled at him as she ruffled his hair. He knocked her hand away and smiled at her.

"Hold on." He ran back into his house only to emerge almost immediately with a pair of Converses in his hands. "Here."

"What is with everyone running off and bringing me things to wear?" She chuckled lightly before looking at the shoes now in her hands. "When did your feet get this big, little man?"

"They're not mine. They're Denny's."

"Oh," her smiled faded away and her eyes began to go distant. "I- I can't-"

"It's ok, Talie. He would want you to have them," Gordie said with a sad smile on his face. "They were his favorites."

She nodded her head and sat on the curb. She slid her feet into the slightly too big shoes before standing. "They're perfect." They really were. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now, come on. Vern's probably shitting himself waiting for us. You know how he gets if we're late for lunch."

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_This has nothing to do with the story, but I cannot stop listening to Paramore and Bayside.  
But it has some to do with my updates, I suppose.  
I'm more likely to type if I'm listening to music versus watching movies. (I always have to have the tv on to keep me company.. and sometimes it's quite distracting.) _

_But I have about half of the next chapter written. I promise that Ace makes an appearance!_


	4. QUATRE it was something in her eyes

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**QUATRE****  


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A couple hours later, Talie, Chris, Gordie and Vern were walking around town, just milling around after eating lunch at the diner.

"Hey, does anyone know when Teddy's getting out of the house?" Talie asked the boys, beginning to worry. She never did like the fact that he was living with his abusive father- but she really wasn't one to say anything. The only difference is that his father was losing his mind and hers was just a drunk.

"It's not even 3:00 yet. He probably won't be out for at least another hour." Gordie said nonchalantly.

"You guys want to eat dinner at my house tonight? My mom's making chicken. She makes it the best. Sincerely." Vern got too excited over his mother's chicken. Every time she made it, it was all he talked about. He always invited them to eat with them but they always turned him down. But this night was different.

Talie answered first after shrugging her shoulders. "Sure. Why not? My father and uncle won't be home anyway. Saturday is their favorite drinking night. There's a good chance they won't be home until Monday."

"My parents probably wouldn't even realize I was gone, I bet." Gordie said with just a hint of sadness. "Let's see if they notice."

Chris threw his arm over Gordie's shoulders. "My old man will be happy I'm not home."

A wide smile spread across Vern's face. "Swell! Shit, I'm going to go tell her now! I'll meet you at the edge all right?"

He didn't even wait for an answer before running back to his house. The boys turned to walk towards the edge of town where the thickest part of the woods began, but Talie just stood and watched Vern disappear down the road.

Chris noticed she wasn't following and turned to look back at her. "What's up?"

She answered without turning around. "Do you think Teddy'll go?"

"I don't know, Tal. If he can get out of the house today, he will."

They don't usually use 'if' for Teddy. None of them really wanted to bring attention to his relationship with his father so they always talked like everything was ok. Instead of saying something like 'I hope Teddy can get out of the house today,' they would say 'oh, I bet Teddy's already there and waiting impatiently for us.' They always tried to stay positive so it was weird to actually heard Chris say 'if.'

Talie sighed and turned back around to follow them. "He'll come. He has to. We stick together."

She smiled at Gordie and Chris before they turned forward again and continued walking. Just as they passed the last store before the grassy field between town and the woods, Talie stopped. "Hey, I'm going to get a drink. Anybody want anything?"

Both boys shook their heads. She shrugged her shoulders and went inside without them. She walked straight up to the older woman at the counter.

"Hello," the woman smiled sweetly at her.

"Hi. Can I get one of those?" Talie pointed to one of the bottles behind the clerk's head.

"Sure, honey."

"Here you go." Talie dropped some coins into the woman's outstretched hand. Before she picked up the bottle, she asked a question. "Do you think I could use your bathroom?"

"Of course! It's right back there. You can even leave your drink here until you come back."

Talie smiled before heading back to the appropriately labeled door in the back of the store. She was thankful of the woman's generosity. She really hated peeing in the woods.

After washing her hands, she headed back up to the counter. "Thank you!"

"No problem, sugar. Have a beautiful day!"

"You too!" Talie yelled cheerily as she walked out of the store. Once she saw the scene in front of the store, she very nearly dropped her drink.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"You'd think you'd learn, eh kid? Eyeball, your little brother's not very smart."

"Nah, Ace. Maybe you should beat some sense into him."

Eyeball chuckled as Ace threw Chris to the ground. With one hand, he shoved his face into the cement while the other hand twisted the younger boy's arm behind his back. Chris let out a short grunt and tried to get free, but he was no match for Ace. It was hopeless. Gordie just stood there watching. It hurt him, too. He hated being unable to help his best friend. For a second he thought about jumping on Ace's back, but Eyeball would kill him before he had time to do any damage. The only thing he could do was stand there and flinch as Ace raised himself up enough to drive his knee into the middle of Chris's spine. He yelped in pain as the two Cobras laughed. Ace suddenly stopped laughing and his sneer returned. He leaned in and opened his mouth to presumably threaten the smaller Chambers boy, but he didn't get the chance. Before he could get a single sound out, a hand grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back to a small arm could be wrapped around his throat.

"Let him go."

After a few moments pause, Ace reluctantly let him go. The arm gripping his neck was no threat. It had a tight hold, but nothing he needed to worry about. It was more about the hair that he didn't want to lose. How tough could he really look with a giant bald spot? And he could never shave off this precious hair. He growled before taking hold of the delicate wrist attached to the choking arm with his now free hand. As he stood, his attacker's grip fell loose. As much as he wanted to whip them over his back, toss them to the ground and beat them to a bloody pulp, he knew that he couldn't. So instead he just pulled them in front of him and stared into the bright sapphire eyes that he was expecting.

"Why can't you get a fucking job or something to occupy your time and stop beating on these boys?" Talie's eyes were burning with rage. She twisted her arm to try and free herself but he just tightened his grip.

"Keep pushing me, Natty." Ace growled, pulling her closer.

"Don't call me that." She gritted her teeth, but her voice wavered a bit. Ace didn't know why, but he knew that calling her 'Natty' struck a nerve. So of course he referred to her as such as often as possible.

Talie and Ace were neighbors and had been their whole life. She was less than a year younger than him, but a grade lower. All sixteen years she had been alive, they utterly despised each other. As they grew older, Ace never stopped being a bully. She lucked out though because it wasn't long before he reached the age when even he knew he couldn't hit a girl. That's when he moved on to Chris Chambers and his friends.

"Why not? That is your name, right?" Ace smirked.

"My name is Natalie." She growled and Eyeball laughed at her.

"These little boys gave you a nickname, why can't I?"

"They are my friends, Ace. You're just a piece of shit."

Ace lost his playfulness and became angry.

"Listen here, _Natty_. I may not be able to hit you, but I can hurt your friends. I know that for you, that's worse."

"Don't you dare."

"What are you going to do about it?" Ace smiled smugly again as he got as close to her as possible without touching her.

"Anything I have to. You will not take your anger at me out on them." She was determined. She would not let it happen.

"Well I'm sure we could arrange something," he said as he looked from her face down over her body.

Before she could respond, Eyeball spoke up. "You're barking up the wrong tree, Ace. She likes 'em young."

"Maybe if every guy out there was like you. But luckily there are actually decent males out there."

"Yeah, but they all die in Jeep accidents."

Gordie cringed as Eyeball laughed at himself. Talie was furious. She ripped free of Ace's grasp and lunged at Eyeball.

"You fucking cockknocker. I'm going to rip your fucking throat out."

She only swore that frequently when she was her angriest. Even the boys were sometimes scared of her when she got like that. It was something in her eyes. Behind the anger, there was so much desperation that they didn't think anything would stop her. She was capable of anything when she looked like that. For half a second, Gordie almost pitied Eyeball because he knew what was about to happen to him- and then he remembered what he said. But before Talie could touch Eyeball, Ace swung around and caught her by the waist. She came to a sudden stop, but threw her arms forward, succeeding in only clawing his arm. She was like a rabid animal.

Eyeball flinched when she cut him. Three long scratches began to leak blood down the side of his arm. He twisted to look at the damage before laughing and taunting her. Before she could attempt to strike again, Ace readjusted his grip so that both of his arms were wrapped around her torso and her arms were pinned at her sides. She tried to break free, but after a few failed attempts she began to calm down.

"Watch out, Eyeball. You've awakened the beast!" He joked loudly, but then leaned into her ear to whisper something only she could hear. "Settle down, all right? If you do, we'll get out of here."

She stopped kicking immediately. She wasn't following Ace's orders, she was dumbfounded. What was that about? Ace Merrill just seemed to be nice to her.

"Good. Just say calm, Talie, ok?"

And he was calling her by her real nickname and not the one she hated? Her overwhelming confusion completely obliterated every speck of anger in her body. He slowly released his grip on her and stepped away.

"Come on, Eyeball. I want to go get my smokes from Anna before her shift's over and her old man takes over. She is one helluva piece of ass. I'd fuck her all night and day."

Talie could do nothing but stare at Ace's leaving form as he lead Eyeball away to the corner store. He didn't look back once. Even when they were gone, she couldn't move.

Chris and Gordie flanked her and stared back towards town, as well. "What happened, Talie?"

"I don't know, Gordie." She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts of confusion over what just happened. "Come on, let's go meet Vern before he thinks we died."

Talie turned and walked out into the middle of the open meadow, but instead of walking to the edge where Vern would be meeting them shortly, she stopped. Without warning, she fell to her knees, and then laid down on her back in the luscious green grass. She sighed deeply and stared up into the deep blue sky. She watched as the too perfectly white and fluffy clouds floated by at a casual pace.

Gordie stood above her, chuckling. "What are you doing?"

"It's just too gorgeous. This summer has been so dry and hot. I want to enjoy this amazing day while I can. Vern will see us. Let's watch the clouds."

"Just don't start pointing out shapes. You girls always see shit like teddy bears and unicorns." Chris chuckled as he laid down on her right.

"How about if I point out the one that looks like a shotgun shooting some guys brains out?" Talie pointed to two different clouds that hardly looked like what she claimed. "Is that manly enough for you?"

As she spoke, Gordie took his spot on the other side of her. "No, because they're still clouds."

She reached over and gently smacked him in the stomach. "Fine. Then I'll keep my creativity to myself. You guys don't know what you're missing."

Before anyone could say anything else, Vern came running up behind them, kicking dirt at their heads.

"Fuck, Vern! Slow down."

"Sorry guys. Guess what. My mom said she's making potatoes now too!" Vern's smiled spread from ear to ear and he looked about as happy as if he had found $5 on the street.

Chris called him out on it. "Verno, why are you so excited? Your mom makes potatoes all of the time. And chicken!"

"Because it's the best. You just wait until you try it! You'll be begging for more. So what are you guys doing anyway?"

"Waiting for you. But now that you're here," Talie paused as she rose back to her feet. "Let's go get Teddy."

---------------------------------------------------------------

When they arrived at Teddy's, the boys stayed on the sidewalk and Talie went to knock on the door by herself. Teddy's father just seemed calmer when dealing with less people at once, especially if it was her. She guessed it was the basic alpha male instinct to be threatened by other males, no matter how small. When he pulled the door open, he was moving quickly but seemed calm.

"Hello, Mr. Duchamp."

"Ah, hello, Natalie." He wrung his hands nervously as he glanced over her head to the boys by the street. He twitched slightly so Talie tried to regain his attention.

"Uh, how was your trip?"

"Yes, it was wonderful. Busy working." That was why he was gone last night. A supposed business trip. But no one knew what his job was and Teddy didn't really talk about his father unless it was about how he stormed the beaches at Normandy. "Are you looking for Theodore?"

She smiled sweetly. "Yes, sir. I was hoping he could have dinner with us- me. Would that be all right with you, Mr. Duchamp?"

Surprising her, he smiled widely. "Of course, girl! Go on and fetch him. He's out back."

Before she could thank him, he shut the door. As she walked away from the door, the boys came to meet her.

"So?"

"He was quite calm and normal. He said it was fine."

"So where's, Teddy?"

"He's in the back. Let's go get him."

Teddy was sitting on the hammock in his backyard when they all poked their heads above the fence.

"Teddy, hey! Come on, let's go! Your dad said you could come to dinner at my house. My mom's making chicken and potatoes and some other stuff. It's going to be so good. Everyone's coming! Get up! She said it'll-"

"Vern! Shut up." Gordie said, stopping the babbling boy.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Teddy jumped up and ran towards his house. "I'll meet you wet ends out front in a minute."

They all ran out to Teddy's front yard like they hadn't seen each other in years.

"How you guys doin'?" Teddy asked everyone but looked directly at Talie. They all mumbled positive things and Vern started talking about dinner again. The other boys groaned and Talie chuckled.

"Maybe we should head to Vern's house. I don't think he's going to give up until we're done eating."

"Come on! I bet it's ready when we get there. Maybe we should hurry."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner was uneventful. Vern kept asking everyone what they thought of his mother's chicken and potatoes. "See? What'd I tell ya? Incredible!"

Once or twice, Vern's mother gently scolded him with a smile, telling him not to talk with his mouth full. Even Billy behaved. Talie was the diplomat and sat next to him. He gave them a bit of a hard time when they first got there, but didn't cause any trouble during dinner. He knew better than to say or do anything in front of their parents. The weird thing was- he didn't seem too bothered with them. He didn't seem nearly as tough or mean without Ace or Eyeball around. It made Talie think. Maybe they weren't all bad eggs. Billy never really picked on anyone but his little brother and even then it was pretty harmless. Usually. It was then that Talie thought that maybe the Cobras weren't as bad as they seem. Maybe it's just their fearless leader, Ace, and Eyeball, his right hand man.

After dinner, they all sat on the curb outside of Vern's house.

"Oh, boy. I sure am full. I'm so glad you guys came. What do you want to do now?"

"Let's go sit on the hill and try to watch whatever's playing at the drive-in."

"It's not some girly romance is it, Talie?" Chris groaned mildly, but stood.

"I hope not. I could really use a good zombie movie."

"Fuck yeah! Let's go see."

Chris and Talie decided the plans for all of them, but no one had any objections anyway. When they got there, the movie was already playing.

"Yes! I see zombies!" Talie loved zombie movies like Vern loved his mother's chicken. They were her favorite. She excitedly climbed up the big tree they always sat in to watch the movie for free- unless they got caught. But they usually got away with it.

Vern grumbled and sat at the base of the stump. "Damn. I hate horror movies."

* * *

_I am so terribly sorry about the delay!__  
I've had this typed up for a while, but forgotten I hadn't posted it.  
I fail. Please forgive me?_

_oh, and can someone tell Jensen Ackles that I want to marry him?  
How about Elijah Wood?  
Oh! Can I have them both?_

_=]_


	5. CINQ who's defending you?

**

* * *

**

**CINQ  


* * *

**

"Right, Talie?"

"Huh? Sorry." She shook her head in an attempt to clear the thoughts and questions that had been plaguing her all night.

"Are you ok?" Chris gave her an odd look.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. What did you ask me?"

"I just said I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course. Who else am I going to hang out with?" She playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Meet us in the treehouse after lunch."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n." She saluted him and he gave her the finger. He laughed and ran down the road towards his house.

Talie had only a few more blocks to her own house. She walked slowly down the middle of the empty street. She wasn't too worried about cars- there wasn't much traffic on these roads this close to midnight. She wasn't nervous about walking by herself when it was that late and that dark. The only thing to really worry about in her town was the Cobras- and even then she knew they were no major threat to her. Well, not unless they were drunk and driving, which they did often. She couldn't understand why they never wrecked but Denny did. It wasn't his fault and he wasn't drinking. But he lost the battle and the Cobra's keep on. It didn't seem fair. But when is life ever fair?

She walked at a less than casual pace and was still back at her house in less than ten minutes. She immediately noticed her uncle's car in the driveway and she stopped. Goosebumps covered her arms. Why was he back so early? She took a deep breath and quietly opened the door. As she walked in, she knew the answer. Through the paper thin walls, she heard a woman rhythmically moaning, each one higher than the last.

"Christ. Just what I wanted to hear." Talie kicked her way through the new pile of empty beer cans that were cluttering the floor. She headed straight out the back door and let the screen slam shut behind her. Even though she expected it, she flinched slightly. She huffed as she sat down on the cement stoop and leaned back against the door. She didn't know how long she was sitting there before she heard movement from the next house over. As much as she didn't want to, she glanced over. There stood a shirtless Ace, chugging the rest of his beer. A light from the alley caused the sweat on his bare chest to glisten. Much to her surprise, Talie couldn't tear her eyes away. Not until he caught her.

"Didn't your mama ever teach you it's rude to stare?" He sounded angry, but looked amused.

"She's dead." Talie lied. But she wasn't lying to Ace. She was lying to herself. It was easier for a little girl to pretend her mother was dead than to think that she was abandoned because her mother didn't love her.

Ace didn't say anything else. He placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it before taking a long drag. It happened again- Talie found herself sucked in. She couldn't help but let her eyes linger, watching his chest as it rose when he inhaled deeply. She watched the smoke elegantly dance away from his slightly parted lips a few seconds later. He looked at her and smirked as she was caught... again. She blushed slightly, but didn't look away. Instead, with sudden courage fueled by serious curiosity, she stood and walked over to him. She stopped a foot away and looked him in the eyes. She didn't say anything right away because she couldn't find her voice, not until Ace showed her some respect with manners she didn't know he had. As he exhaled his next lungful of smoke, he blew it up into the air and away from her face.

"Why were you being nice to me today?"

"What?"

"Outside the store, when Eyeball was joking about Denny."

At first Ace just shrugged, but within a few seconds he answered her. "It was the look in your eyes. I saw that look once before. Nothing good came from that." He didn't say anything else and Talie knew not to push it. Ace was being civil to her and that was a miracle in itself.

"Thank you." She wasn't just thanking him for being nice, but also for stopping her. She wanted to kill Eyeball, but she never thought about Eyeball fighting back. Not at the time.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Why do you hate me?" As soon as she asked, she regretted it. The question came out before she could stop it.

It actually caught him off guard. His face turned quickly back at her. For a split second, Talie swore she saw confusion in his eyes. But he blinked and it was gone, replaced with a much more casual look. He shrugged, "I don't."

She almost fell over. Ace Merrill didn't hate her? She'll never admit it, but she felt a bit relieved. And angry. Suddenly, he had no excuse for being a bully other than just being a dick of a human being. As strong as both those emotions were, she didn't let either show. Instead, she called him out.

"So why are you such a jerk all the time?"

"That's usually your own fault."

She scoffed in disbelief. "My fault?"

"You get in the way of those little homos."

"That's bec-"

"When's the last time _I_ started shit with _you_?

She froze up. He was right. He never said anything or even touched her unless she said or did something first.

"You never pick on them if I'm around." She spoke quietly, to no one but herself. Ace obviously wasn't threatened by her. He just wasn't set on getting into anything with her. "I don't understand. You've always been mean to me. You've always made me cry." There her mouth went again- spouting out things that Ace never should hear. But it was true. She had almost forgotten some of the horrible shit he's said to her when she's gotten him too angry. "You know what buttons to push."

"Do you expect me not to fight back? I may not hate you but I'm not going to let you get away with taking swings at me." He flicked his cigarette butt into an empty trashcan nearby. "If you stop trying to fight me, I'll stop attacking you the only way that I can."

"I'll stop when you stop beating up my friends."

"You know what happened. You were there. And besides," he smirked menacingly, "it's too fun."

"Then I'll keep defending them."

"Who's defending you?"

Before she even had the chance to ask who from, her unspoken question was answered. From inside her house they heard a crashing noise and loud swearing. He glanced over her shoulder at the house and she looked away before he could look back at her. "I can take care of myself."

"You can't run forever." He lit another cigarette.

She looked back up at him incredulously. She didn't understand what was going on. They were basically getting along.

He looked at her and caught her staring again, but not at him. He recognized that look, too. "Been a while?" He asked, smirking again, as he held his cigarette out to her.

"Too long." She sighed as she took it, inhaling as much as she could before giving it back. She held her breath, savoring the slight burning in her lungs and the tobacco taste on her lips. She exhaled slowly to the side. She watched the gentle smoke twirl and turn around itself before fading and merging with the air around them. When she looked at Ace, he was smiling mischievously at her. Suddenly self-conscious, she shuffled her feet and took half a step backwards.

"What?" She felt flustered.

"Sometimes watching smoke glide over a girl's lips is almost as good as feeling her tits. Makes you wonder what else those luscious lips can blow so well." Ace half expected her to be offended, maybe even slap him, but she surprised him by laughing.

"Good to know." She then surprised herself by genuinely smiling at him, even if it was just a small one. It didn't stay on her face long though. The back door of her house swung open to reveal the trashy woman that just finished satisfying her uncle. They both turned to look at her and Talie shivered with disgust. The whorish woman sloppily smoked her cigarette in short quick huffs.

"Now that is an exception. But I wouldn't want to feel her saggy tits either."

Talie chuckled. "Sincerely."

Her uncle sauntered out behind the woman. "Come on, babe. Let's head back to the bar. I need more drinks before round two."

"Oh, Roy!" She laughed obnoxiously. Talie didn't think her uncle even noticed that woman called him by the wrong name. When he grabbed her by the waist and awkwardly pulled her towards the side of the house to walk around, he noticed his niece standing in front of the neighbor boy.

"'Ey!" He didn't sound angry but Talie still instinctively took a couple steps backwards, away from him. When she bumped into Ace, he didn't do anything; she, however, did take a half of a step forward again. "Looks like you're off the hook tonight, Natty!" Her uncle cackled as he slapped the woman's ass and squeezed, causing her to squeal.

Talie shivered with unease. It wasn't what he said that got to her the most- it was the fact that he almost sounded sober. She didn't even think about the fact that Ace now knew her darkest secret, the one that only Chris knew about. She didn't make that connection until after her uncle and his wench for the night were in his truck and driving down the street. She forgot Ace was even there until he spoke.

"So that's why you hate 'Natty.'"

She jumped forward before turning to face him again. That's when the realization set in. She immediately began to panic. She could barely handle Chris knowing let alone Ace! "I- I have to go."

She took a few steps backwards before turning and running back into her house. She ran straight for her bedroom, slamming and locking the door. She shrugged Chris's borrowed shirt off quickly, took Denny's shoes off carefully and kicked her pants off violently. Curling on her mattress in just her underclothes, the cold on her flushed skin felt incredible. After the heat from embarrassment had washed away and the chills began to return, she pulled the sheet up over her head. She laid there until she could calm her breathing. Within fifteen minutes she had fallen asleep.

When she woke suddenly, it was still night and her father and uncle were still gone. She didn't sleep for long but she cursed herself for sleeping at all. No matter that the door was locked, she never slept in anything shy of a complete outfit. After pushing the covers off her body, she stood to dress. She grabbed a large t-shirt and loose cotton pants to throw on before checking the clock. Seeing that it was barely after midnight, she decided she had enough time to shower before either men of the house returned. She found a clean set of underclothes before heading to the bathroom. She let much more cold than hot water flow through the pipes. It was far too hot again. As the cool water rolled over her hair and down her cheeks, her chest and all the way down to her toes, she thought about her conversation with Ace.

She couldn't understand what happened. Ace didn't seem like his horrible self. Maybe he was drunk? She did see him chug that beer. Maybe that was his twentieth beer of the night? But he seemed sober enough. She was afraid of what would happen next time she saw him. Would it be awkward? Would he act like a jerk again, as if they hadn't talked at all? Then her mind took a shocking detour. In her mind's eye she was greeted with an image if a shirtless, glistening Ace as he sensually smoked a cigarette. She felt her body temperature rise despite the cold water. She was sure her face was flush and there was a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach.

What was going on? This was Ace Merrill! She shouldn't be feeling anything but anger and hatred and here she was. It was almost as if-

No. She couldn't say it. It was bad enough to realize that they may not truly hate each other.

There was no way.

No way was Natalie Hayward attracted to Ace Merrill.

* * *

_So I updated quicker this time!  
But I don't have much of the next chapter written yet, so it may be a bit._

_But hopefully not too long. :)_


	6. SIX back and forth

SIX

* * *

Talie's father and uncle never came back last night. She liked waking up to an empty house. She felt extremely peaceful until she realized what time it was. It was after noon already. She hadn't slept that long in a while. She jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. She threw on a loose black skirt that fell just below her knees before putting on a baby blue button-down. She pulled her black sandals on her feet. She went through her morning rituals at record speed before dashing out the door. She jogged down her street with the wind blowing through her messy curls and her skirt bouncing against her legs. She slowed when she saw a figure up ahead.

"Chris?" Talie was sure he'd be at the treehouse with the others already. He stopped but didn't turn to face her. When she got close, she noticed he was sporting a new bruised cheek. "Bad morning?"

"My brother pissed on the floor when he was drunk and told me to clean it up. Yeah fucking right." He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Still hurt?"

Chris shook his head. "It's actually from last night. I don't think any of the Cobras will bother us today. He was mumbling something this morning about never drinking that much with Ace again."

They both chuckled. So Ace must have been drunk last night. That's why he was being exceptionally nice to her, at least by his standards. She shrugged off the thought of last night before that mental picture popped up again.

When they reached the treehouse, it was just Teddy and Gordie. Vern wasn't there for a while because he was looking for his pennies again.

"_I'm telling' ya, Verno. Billy got 'em already!"_

"_He couldn't have. How would he know where they were?"_

That was a reoccurring conversation between Teddy and Vern, both too stubborn to think anything different. Gordie broke the minor bickering as he threw a deck of cards on the makeshift table. "Anyone?"

For the rest of the afternoon, they wasted time away with card games and friendly conversation. They were only there for a few hours because it was a school night; Vern, Gordie and Teddy had to be home for dinner and Talie hadn't done any of her weekend homework so she needed to catch up. She dragged her feet as she walked back to her house. What are the chances they wouldn't be home two nights in a row? Hit or Miss. It's possible for them to go on a two or three day bender, but they're usually back by Sunday night. She swore under her breath and rubbed the back of her hand against her eye. The dust she was kicking up made a nice home in her eye socket, much to her dismay. When she turned the corner and saw her father was home, she stopped walking.

Screw her schoolwork, she wasn't ready to face her life yet. She walked to the park nearby and sat down on a swing. As she watched the last bits of light set behind the sun and the sky darken, her mind wandered back to the night before. Despite her silent and weak protests, her subconscious insisted that she think about her feelings. There was a tightening in her chest and a mild light-headed feeling. She yearned, in some way, to have another private _sober_ moment with him, to see if he would act like his normal troubled self or this new acceptable Ace. Part of her hoped to have seen a lighter side of him while the other part insisted that he is nothing more than an ass and will never change.

What to do? Should she seek him out or wait to see what he does next? She ached to find out the truth but also wanted to see how he reacted, without being nudged. She groaned as she pushed her feet against the ground and began to use the swing for its intended purpose. Much like her thoughts, she swung back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until well after sunset.

* * *

_Wow. I didn't realize this story was so old!  
__I figured I'd try to pick it back up, but we'll see what happens._

_Here's a short little bit, just to see. I have the next part written too.  
__And I still have my story outline so I have some plans, but no ultimate goal._

_Does anyone even care? Haaaa_


	7. SEPT - nothing but a hooligan

SEPT

* * *

It had been a week since that night Talie and Ace stood on the dead grass and had a not-unfriendly moment. She had gone over and over the conversation and her feelings in her head for a solid day or two afterwards but then dismissed any sort of crush on a temporary lapse of judgement. She hadn't seen him but the boys had encountered them a few times. Gordie told her about the terrible things Eyeball said about Denny, and Chris stumbled into the treehouse one afternoon with a bad limp and a busted lip. Talie was enraged and promised one day to get even with the Cobras. She'd figure something out.

Some little voice in the back of her head tried to remind her that Ace didn't hate her, but she didn't listen. He wasn't a nice guy. Look at what he did to her friends! He picked on boys younger than him who had no chance of fighting back. That little voice was full of shit. And Eyeball, he was worse. He had no conscience. He'd say anything and hit anybody. She knew that he wasn't above hitting a girl so she had to be careful with him. Surely Ace would hit her if provoked enough, but Eyeball probably wouldn't need much persuasion.

But she didn't care anymore. She'd had it. Talie was tired of seeing her friends physically and emotionally hurt. The last straw was the night when Vern showed up with a broken wrist (well, turns out it wasn't really broken but she didn't know that for a few days). Sure, he was the fat kid every one picked on but he was such a sweetheart. He was the weakest, he needed the most protection. Mother Hen Talie went crazy, crazier than Teddy's dad. She stormed around town, with Chambers on her heels trying to calm her down, until she found them. She marched right up to the first Cobra she saw and reached up and punched him in the face with all her might. She may be small but when she wanted to, she could cause some damage. Unfortunately, it was Eyeball. She almost fell to the floor but she caught herself and turned to face him. He twisted around to face her and the look in his eyes almost sobered her of her anger.

"You little cunt." He stepped towards her but Billy stopped him.

"Eyeball, cool it. She's just a girl. Couldn't've hurt that bad."

"It don't. But she still needs taught a lesson."

She took a step back but held her ground. "I'm tired of you knocking these boys around like little punching bags! What did Vern do to you that you had to go and break his wrist? He's harmless! You guys are just big pussies that-"

Eyeball swung at her, but she ducked unnecessarily because Chris jumped in front of her and blocked the blow.

"Leave her alone."

"Stop defending your girlfriend. She thinks she can fight her own battles so let her. Or I'll beat the shit outta both of you."

Eyeball shoved Chris to the floor and kicked his torso. Talie tried to tackle him from the side but he barely budged. He threw his elbow out to knock her off, catching her in the mouth and splitting her lip. She fell back a few steps and pressed the back of her hand to her face to assess the damage. Not enough blood to worry about yet. She'll live. He turned and stepped towards her but the pain only spiked her adrenaline.

"You damn hub caps think you're the greatest things but you're really just a bunch of nosebleeds!"

Talie barely got to spit her venomous words before he backhanded her so hard that she hit the floor. Eyeball stepped over her and grabbed her arms, just below her shoulders and lifted her back a few inches off the ground. He got so close to her face that he spoke barely above a whisper and she heard him clearly.

"You better get lost before I tear you apart." He smirked with terrible intentions in mind as he slammed her back to the ground. He stepped back just as Ace sauntered in.

"What's the story here?" Just like a captain to ask what his crew has been doing in his absence.

"She's asking for a beatin', or maybe a little backseat bingo, Ace. She took a swing at me." Eyeball jerked his head toward Talie as she stumbled getting up. Chris was back on his feet and took her arm until she got her footing.

Ace didn't say anything, just glared at Chris and Talie. After a few moments of silence, he pulled out his knife and flicked it open. Twirling it in his hand, he handed it Eyeball handle first. "Then take care of it."

Eyeball looked at Ace and then the knife with eyes wide with momentary shock. He reached forward but when his fingers touched the handle he jerked slightly as if bit. He then grabbed the handle without fear and pointed it towards Talie. Chris protectively moved in front of her and glared at his older brother.

"Move, ankle-biter. I'm gonna cut you and then take a piece of your Dolly girl." Eyeball tried to sound tough, but you could hear the doubt in his voice.

Talie placed a hand on the younger boy's arm and stepped around him. "Don't worry, Chris; he won't do it. He ain't got the berries for it." She slowly moved closer until she was just out of arm's reach. "Do ya?"

Eyeball's cheek twitched and you could almost see the conflict in his face- the doubt in his own ability to follow through with his threat versus the embarrassment of failing in front of Ace and the gang. The latter was much more important to his ego so he closed his eyes and lashed forward. The very tip of the blade caught her skin, scratching through a few thin layers of her neck just above her clavicle. Blood began to bubble out but not more than a good cat scratch. The knife hit the ground as it slid from his hand and the surprise of him actually making contact clearly displayed on his face.

Ace picked up the knife and closed it before tucking it back in his pocket. "Let's cut out."

Without hesitation (because an order is an order), Eyeball and Billy turned and walked towards the exit while Ace lingered a moment. He narrowed his eyes with an unspoken threat before turning and leaving.

Once the Cobras were out of sight, both Chris and Talie exhaled the breaths they were holding. Turning to check her injuries, Chris tilted her chin to get a better view of the slice on her neck. The blood was dripping a little bit but it wasn't much to worry about. He checked her mouth next, which was becoming quite swollen. He mumbled about getting some ice for her lip and her bruising cheek. She ignored him and asked how he felt. Nothing a smoke couldn't cure, he said.

* * *

On the way home, Talie's anger subsided and everything was sinking in. Eyeball smacked her around and threatened to use her as he pleased. She wasn't innocent like her drunk uncle implied before he tried to rape her, but she wasn't a whore either. She still shivered at the thought. Was that all she was good for, a piece of ass?

Chris grabbed her hand and spoke comforting words as well as sore words about the elder boys. She was thankful that he was so wise beyond his years because he always knew the right things to say. Instead of parting and walking towards their respective houses, he walked her to her street. He'd walk her to the door, but that would only be more bad news for her if her father or uncle were home, drunk. They stopped a block away and she kissed him on the cheek. If only he was older… one day he'd make an amazing steady for some lucky girl.

She walked the last block alone to find her shithole of a house empty. She was glad. She didn't really want to deal with it right now. Before she did anything else, she stripped off her clothes and took a longer, hotter than usual shower. She wanted to scrub away the thoughts of Eyeball's touch. It unnerved her more than his fists.

When she the shower ran cold, she stepped out and quickly towel dried her body before slipping on a nightdress with ribbon straps and that fell to mid-thigh. She didn't put the robe on to cover her bare shoulders, nor did she slide on the pants because she had the house to herself. She kept them nearby, though, in case they showed up suddenly. After she nibbled on the stale crumbs of food they had laying around the sorry excuse for a kitchen, she wandered out the back door. She sat on the stoop and stared up into the night sky. There weren't many lights so some stars were visible. She tried to pick out the constellations she remembered from school, but she could only find a couple. She was so at ease when she was alone that she forgot both that she had neighbors and that she was wearing very little. When Ace spoke she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Natalie."

"Christ, Ace!" She sprung to her feet and threw her hand to her chest as if to settle her racing heart. "What're you trying to do to me?"

She smirked and eyed her up and down. She hadn't noticed though because she was too busy trying to calm herself.

"What to do you want?"

"Just to see what Eyeball did to ya." He turned his head slightly as he looked at her face, really looked. "Aw, just a couple bruises and a scratch."

At mention of her neck swipe, anger began to boil inside of her again. "Speakin' of that, if you didn't hate me why'd you give that cockknocker the knife?" She was practically yelling at him, not caring who heard. "He coulda killed us!"

"Nah, I knew he couldn't." He shrugged and headed back towards his property and picked up his smokes off the ground. After he lit one, he shrugged off his outer shirt, leaving just a tight black tee behind.

That answer didn't satisfy Talie and she sprinted over to him, her unbound chest bouncing under the thin material and catching Ace's eye. She wrapped her arms around them to shield him, cursing herself to forgetting to put her robe on before she stepped outside. Stupid girl.

What's next was even more stupid of her. She reached out and slapped that look right off of Ace's face. His cigarette fell to the ground and his head snapped back with fury. She cowered a bit but spoke with more authority that she felt she had. "You are nothing but a hooligan. Last week I thought maybe there was more to you but I was wrong. You're a worthless piece of shit."

He grabbed her by the elbows and swung her around to slam her into the side of his house. She let out a moan and he pushed her harder, getting in her face. Preparing for a beating, she was completely shocked by what happened next.

Ace's lips slammed against hers with such fury that her split lip tore open again. She opened her mouth to protest the pain but instead she found her whimper was absorbed by his tongue as he invaded her mouth. The taste of blood mingled with the taste of cigarettes and beer. When she didn't react, he pulled away and stared into her eyes. Between her brows were tiny little wrinkles indicating her bewilderment.

"Come on, you can do better than that."Ace whispered, his voice husky, as he released his grip on Talie. She didn't move as his hand traveled down one arm, brushing his thumb ever so slightly along the curvy side of her breast hidden behind the thin material. It wasn't until this hand went lower, connecting with the skin of her thigh and returning upwards. She felt the hem of her nightdress lifting but it still didn't quite hit home until his fingers brushed against her panties. She gasped and pushed him away. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she side stepped back to her house.

"Fuck you. I'm not easy. You can't just touch me like I'm your little plaything." She backed away from him, shooting daggers with her stare.

He bent over and picked up his smoke off the ground and placing it back between his lips.

She spit at his feet before calling him a few more choice words and running back into her hellish sanctuary. She stripped off the nightgown and tossed it into the trash. She knew it was a terrible thing to splurge her money on- that it would only get her into trouble- but she wanted to feel pretty for once. Tears stung her eyes as she dressed herself in clothes that left as little skin showing as possible. She locked her door before torturing herself with her thoughts of being nothing more than a cooch to anyone with a prick between his legs. Nightmares of being raped plagued her until she was woken up by the sound of a gun shot in the early morning hours.


End file.
